3 Ways to Help Your Employees Learn to Lead

To many people out there, the idea of leading a group or team may seem daunting. Taking a leadership role at work can appear to some people as an impossible task which they will never be suited for. However, this mindset is not conducive to advancing in the workplace, or taking on as much as one is capable of, to help grow the business and ensure success for everyone. Encouraging your employees to take on leadership roles is a step by step process – especially if they are under the impression that leadership is beyond them. Additionally, make sure they know that leadership is not necessarily defined by position in the hierarchy. Try using the following methods to bring out the best in leadership that your team of employees has to offer.

Provide Diverse Work Opportunities

Teamwork does not have to be stale and expected – just because one team provides a specialized function, should not preclude certain people from trying their hands at something new. Try mixing teams together in a way that cuts across departmental boundaries, to encourage new ideas and fresh ways of thinking, in addition to being able to see how different people work together. For example, you may find one person more outgoing and possessing more initiative when placed in a new group or new surroundings, adding to the team dynamics.

Trust in Your Employees to Make Decisions

The best way to empower your employees is to act on it, not just talk about it. Give employees at every level of your business the authority to make some decisions, and that can awaken a widespread desire to lead. Not every employee will respond to this method, but there will be a surprising amount that do.

Be Clear With Assigned Roles

When the expectations or roles of employees are unclear, it is incredibly less likely that an employee will step up into a role of leadership – because, after all, they’re unsure of what a leadership role would qualify as! Creating clear roles within your business structure is crucial to defining for your employees what a leadership role truly entails. The more candid you are about roles, the better your potential lead employees will know what to do in order to step up.

Having employees with the drive to lead can promote incentive to advance, stay with the company, and generally improve business by adequately distributing workloads. Take the time to coach the leadership qualities out of your employees – you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.